LGBTQ Terms

Agender

(Also genderless, gender neutral, or neutrois): a person who sees themselves as neither man nor woman, has no gender identity, or no gender to express. This person may also identify as genderqueer or non-binary.

Ally

A person who advocates for and supports the rights and equal treatment of LGTBQ individuals.

Androgynous

Expressing one’s gender through appearance, name, and/or mannerisms that are not associated with masculinity or femininity, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

Asexual

An identity term to describe a person who may not experience romantic and/or sexual attraction.

Bisexual

People who are attracted to people of the same or another gender.

Cisgender or Cis

Gender identity that is consistent with the sex they were assigned at birth.

Female

A label given to someone at birth by a medical professional, generally based on the presence of a vulva, vagina, uterus and/or ovaries and/or X chromosomes.

Feminine

Expressing one’s gender through appearance, name, and/or mannerisms that are consistent with common understandings of femininity, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation

Gay

People who are attracted to people of the same gender.

Gender Nonconforming or GNC

Also known as Gender Expansive, Gender Variant, or Gender Creative, is a term that refers to individuals whose gender expression does not follow social expectations or stereotypes based on their sex assigned at birth.

Gender Role

The roles, feelings, and behaviors assigned to males or females by society. Society recognizes two basic gender roles: masculine or feminine.

Genderqueer (GQ)

An identity term to describe a person who does not subscribe to conventional gender distinctions but identifies with neither, both, or a combination of male and female genders.

Heterosexual

People who are attracted to people of the opposite sex. (aka. straight)

Homosexual

An outdated clinical term considered offensive by some gay and lesbian people.

Intersex

A general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy, chromosomal makeup, or hormonal pattern that cannot be readily assigned a label of female or male.

Lesbian

A woman who is attracted to other women. Sometimes preferred over “gay.”

Masculine

Expressing one’s gender through appearance, name, and/or mannerisms that are consistent with common understandings of masculinity, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

Male

A label given to someone at birth by a medical professional, based on the presence of a penis, testicles, and/or scrotum and/or X and Y chromosomes.

Man

An identity term to describe a person who identifies as a man, regardless of whether that person was assigned male at birth (cisgender man) or was not (transgender man).

Non-binary or NB (Enby) or Gender Fluid

An identity term to describe a person whose gender identity cannot be described with the binary terms associated with male/man or woman/female; a gender identity that falls somewhere along the gender spectrum.

Queer

Traditionally a pejorative term, this term has been appropriated by some LGBT people to describe themselves. Some value the term for its defiance and because it can be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. Nevertheless, it is not universally accepted even within the LGBT community and should be avoided unless quoting someone who self-identifies that way.

Questioning

Someone trying to figure out their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. An examination of oneself; the process of exploring and discovering one’s own sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression.

Stereotype

Assuming that someone will act or feel a certain way based on their outward appearance.

Transgender or Trans

An umbrella term for people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. Transgender people may or may not alter their bodies hormonally or surgically, but it’s important to know that being transgender is not dependent upon medical procedures.

Transphobia

Fear or hatred of transgender people; transphobia is manifested in a number of ways, including violence, harassment, and discrimination.

Woman

An identity term to describe a person who identifies as a woman, regardless of whether that person was assigned female at birth (cisgender woman) or was not (transgender woman).